New Delhi [India], March 12 (ANI): Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Thursday sought a parliamentary debate on the reported shortage of commercial LPG cylinders, questioning the import dependence and lack of storage facilities.

Citing the PM Ujjwala Yojana, Manickam Tagore alleged that the Centre failed to plan the infrastructure for the LPG despite the cooking gas consumption increasing across the country.

He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Centre of 'running away' from the Parliament and avoiding debate on an 'energy crisis.'

Manickam Tagore wrote on X, 'India is now staring at a serious LPG supply vulnerability, and the people deserve answers. Over the past decade, LPG consumption has increased dramatically -- especially after the expansion of cooking gas connections under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. While providing access to clean cooking fuel is important, the Union government failed to plan the infrastructure and strategic reserves needed to support this surge in demand. Today, India imports nearly 60 per cent of its LPG requirement, and shockingly, more than 85 per cent of these imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most geopolitically sensitive routes in the world. Any disruption in this region can immediately affect India's LPG supply chain.'

He said that India's total underground LPG storage capacity is about 1.4 lakh tonnes, which is less than two days of the country's LPG consumption.

'Even more alarming is the fact that India's total underground LPG storage capacity is only about 1.4 lakh tonnes, located in two caverns at Mangaluru and Visakhapatnam. This is less than two days of India's LPG consumption. The International Energy Agency has already flagged this lack of storage infrastructure as a serious weakness in India's energy security framework. In simple terms, a country of 140 crore people is running its household cooking fuel system with barely two days of strategic backup,' he wrote.

The Congress leader asked the Centre to offer an explanation on preparedness amid the shortage of LPG.

He wrote, 'This raises serious questions: Why was no long-term storage plan created despite the massive expansion in LPG consumption? Why has the government allowed such extreme dependence on imports? Why were additional underground storage caverns not built over the last decade? At a time when people are already facing high fuel prices and supply anxieties in several regions, the government should be explaining its preparedness to the nation.'

'But instead of coming to the Parliament of India and facing a discussion, Narendra Modi and his ministers are running away from Parliament and avoiding a full debate on the emerging energy crisis. Energy security is not a slogan. It requires planning, transparency and accountability. The country deserves a serious discussion in Parliament, not silence,' the social media post read.

Domestic LPG production has increased by about 25 percent and the entire domestic LPG production is being directed towards household consumers, the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas said on Wednesday. Home Affairs Ministry has strengthened a control room, now operating round-the-clock.

With the West Asia Conflict putting stress on fuel supply routes that use the Strait of Hormuz, sources said that Iranian authorities have decided to allow Indian flagged ships to pass safely through the Strait, where maritime traffic has all but halted since the US and Israel attacked Iran. (ANI)